ISLAMABAD-President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf while expressing grief and shock over the loss of life and property caused by earthquake in the Iranian city of Tabriz said Pakistan's stood with the brotherly country in this hour of trial.
In their separate messages of condolence to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad they offered assistance to the government and people of Iran.
Prime Minister Pervez Ashraf has directed the concerned Pakistani authorities to immediately contact their counterparts in Iran and determine the nature and the kind of assistance which Pakistan can extend to the people of Tabriz.
He said natural calamities pose a serious challenge to all our countries. He said we need to develop a comprehensive strategy at the national regional and international levels in order to deal with natural disasters.
Meanwhile, in Iran the death toll has risen to 250 in two earthquakes that hit Tabriz last evening. More than two thousand people were injured in the quake.
Officials said six villages have been destroyed and sixty others sustained more than 50 percent damage.
They said causality figures could rise further as some of the injured are in critical condition while many others are still trapped under the rubble.
The officials say all links to the affected regions near the city of Tabriz are reported to have been cut with around sixty villages are said to be badly damaged.
Thousands huddled in makeshift camps or slept in the streets after Saturday's quakes in fear of more aftershocks.
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